So we started this week off with another busy news section:

1. The first Richmond community mission was successfully completed on Saturday
2. 2 local missions were run on Sunday, by Kate & Samia
3. Mark had tails of running up some monster hills that made Richmonds look pretty meagre! Hmmmm ...wait to see the evidence !
4. Mark also had new the task shuffle around for next week, which gives us Balsam to pull for our 2nd birthday. Well it is tradition, as that was the first ever Richmond Task and the 1st birthday mission too!

Saturdays Thistle pulling mission also brought us a new runner, Lewi, who not only joined but back-marked, a very valiant effort for his first time out! Great to have you on board. Madurai also joined us from GoodGym Kingston.

We set off to the green for a quick warm up as we had a long run to get to Whitton. The 5k distance gave us plenty of time to catch up on the weeks sporting events, Wimbledon & the football, of course, and to discuss more plans for next weeks birthday party, as well as reminiscing about favourite tasks and discussing all things mission related.

Once we arrived at the task, we quickly downed some cold water before cracking on with the gardening. We concentrated on the front of the building this time and set to work sweeping and weeding the entrance and parking spaces. Aran did a great job battling the wind, sweeping piles of leaves and hurriedly trying to get them into bags before they were scattered back across the tarmac. Then we tidied up the path way leading to the side doors; bagging leaves, pruning back the over hanging plants, collecting litter and pulling up yet more unruly weeds.

"I'm sure I've already swept this leaf!"#Richmond #GoodGym #volunteering #Mondays #WhittonYouthZone pic.twitter.com/QvBOaTPN8l

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) July 9, 2018

Soon enough, time was up, and we gathered together for Mandy to gave us a quick run down of all the great work Whitton Youth Zone do. She let us know that there's a big garden work party day scheduled for the 27th July, should anyone fancy getting really stuck in! But for tonight, we had to be off, 5k back, this time in slightly cooler temperatures with a nice breeze, for which we were all very grateful.

"Are you sure we bagged it?"#Richmond #running #GoodGym #volunteering #Whitton #weeding pic.twitter.com/zVL7el7mLr

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) July 9, 2018